Erekat Brands Israeli Sanctions as 'Piracy'

The Palestinian Authority’s (PA) chief negotiator continued on Friday to blast Israel's decision to stop tax money transfers to the PA, branding it “piracy”, according to The Associated Press (AP).

An Israeli official announced on Thursday that Israel would freeze the transfer of taxes to the PA, suspend participation with the PA to develop a gas field in the sea off of Hamas-controlled Gaza, and put a cap on PA deposits in Israeli banks.

These sanctions followed other punitive measures and sanctions that Israel took against the PA after it unilaterally applied to join 15 international conventions in breach of the conditions of the peace talks.

AP quoted Saeb Erekat as having said on Friday that "the Israeli decision to withhold these funds is piracy. ... It cannot be maintained."

On Thursday, Erekat also condemned the decision and labeled the sanctions as "theft." The sanctions were an act of "Israeli hijacking and the theft of the Palestinian people's money," claimed Erekat.

Israel collects about $100 million a month in taxes for the PA. It isn't clear how much would be withheld or for long it would go on.

Meanwhile on Friday, the PA continued its unilateral moves and signed up to the Geneva Conventions, which set down the rules of warfare and humanitarian operations in conflict zone.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)